Keynotes at DevLearn

The Magic of Storytelling and Learning

Penn Jillette

Author, Actor, Magician, Entertainer

Magicians are master storytellers. Their ability to engage an audience and keep it focused is critical to their ability to execute many of the astounding tricks they perform. In this exciting opening keynote, you will learn some of the secrets of storytelling from one of the world’s leading magicians, Penn Jillette. You will discover how magicians create an environment in which magic can take place—because true magic, like learning, takes place in the mind of an individual fully engaged in an experience.

Listen to this exclusive interview with Penn Jillette and get a preview of his presentation at DevLearn!

Creativity and Problem-solving at Pixar

Tony DeRose

Research Group Lead, Pixar Animation Studios

While creativity is often associated with art, it is equally important in problem-solving. In this keynote from Pixar’s Tony DeRose, you will explore both sides of this equation through the experiences of one of the most creative and innovative companies in the world. You will learn about Pixar’s movie-making process and see how the creativity applied to its films is also applied to how the company creates technical solutions to challenges. You will also discover how this unique approach to creative challenges can be applied to education.

Adaptive Content, Context, and Controversy

Karen McGrane

Managing Partner, Bond Art + Science

In 2016, “adaptive content” has become a buzzword. To some, it’s a complex, long-term initiative to structure content for flexible reuse and dynamic targeting. To others, it’s a way to ensure that everyone, everywhere, sees exactly what they want—like magic! In this closing keynote, Karen McGrane shares her perspective (and reservations) about how adaptive content is being used today. She’ll discuss how adaptive content supports targeting content to device type, and why that’s rarely necessary. She’ll also describe creative ways that adaptive content can support tailoring content according to context, and ways that can go wrong. You’ll walk away with a better understanding of when adaptive content is necessary and how to get the most value from it.

Why New Realities Require New Narratives

Maxwell Planck

Technical Founder, Oculus Story Studio

In this keynote session, you will take a journey into the coming world of virtual reality (VR) and explore how VR is shaping the future of content. Using his work with Oculus Story Studio as an example, Maxwell Planck will examine why new technologies require us to challenge our assumptions of what we do in order to fully explore the potential of what we could do. You will learn why new technologies require us to rethink our current narratives, and how virtual reality is changing the definition of “story” itself.